High-dose intravenous steroid pulse therapy in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy

MIcrospheres containing diclofenac sodium (DS) were prepared using carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as the main support material (1.0, 2.0, 3.0% (w/v)) and aluminum chloride as the crosslinker. Drug to polymer ratios of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:4 were used to obtain a range of microspheres. The microspheres were then coated with an enteric coating material, Eudragit S-100, efficiency, % yield value, particle sizes an in-vitro dissolution behaviour were investigated. The surface of the enteric coated microspheres seemed to be all covered with Eudragit S-100 from scanning electron microscopy observation. It was also observed that increasing the CMC concentration led to an increase in the encapsulation efficiency, % yield value and particle size and decreased the release rate. Eudragit S-100 coating did not significantly alter the size but the release rate was significantly lower even when the lower concentration solution was used.     

Prostaglandin E receptor subtypes in mouse osteoblastic cell line

PGE2 is one of the key molecules in the osteoblast. It is the major prostanoid in the bone, and its production is under the control of both systemic and local factors. PGE2 has been reported to have multiple actions in the osteoblast, such as growth promotion and cell differentiation. To better understand the action of PGE2 in the osteoblast, we determined the PGE receptor subtypes in MC3T3-E1, an osteoblastic cell line derived from the normal mouse calvaria. Northern blot analysis revealed that EP1 and EP4 subtypes are expressed in MC3T3-E1. In contrast, EP3 subtype was not detected by either Northern blot analysis or RT-PCR. The contribution of each subtype was evaluated by studying the effects of subtype-specific analogs on osteoblastic function at confluency and 5 days after confluency. An EP1 agonist, 17-phenyl-omega-trinor PGE2, increased DNA synthesis and decreased alkaline phosphatase activity. 11-Deoxy-PGE1, and EP2 and EP4 agonist, decreased DNA synthesis and increased alkaline phosphatase activity at both stages. Butaprost, an EP2-selective agonist, showed effects similar to those of 11-deoxy-PGE1 only at confluency. Another and more differentiated osteoblastic marker, osteocalcin production, was detectable and was stimulated by 11-deoxy-PGE1 only 5 days after confluency. The exposure of these cells to EP1 agonist changed the cell shape to a more fibroblastic appearance. These results indicate that EP1, EP4, and probably EP2 are present in MC3T3-E1 cells; EP1 promotes cell growth, and EP2 and EP4 mediate differentiation of the osteoblast. Furthermore, the decreased response to EP2-specific agonist 5 days after confluency suggests that the expression of PGE receptor subtype is dependent on the stage of osteoblastic differentiation. This is the first report to determine PGE receptor subtypes in the bone.     

Band Gaps of Na2C60 and K4C60

respectively.     

Automatic two- and three-dimensional mesh generation based on fuzzy knowledge processing

This paper describes the development of a novel automatic FEM mesh generation algorithm based on the fuzzy knowledge processing technique.A number of local nodal patterns are stored in a nodal pattern database of the mesh generation system. These nodal patterns are determined a priori based on certain theories or past experience of experts of FEM analyses. For example, such human experts can determine certain nodal patterns suitable for stress concentration analyses of cracks, corners, holes and so on. Each nodal pattern possesses a membership function and a procedure of node placement according to this function. In the cases of the nodal patterns for stress concentration regions, the membership function which is utilized in the fuzzy knowledge processing has two meanings, i.e. the closeness of nodal location to each stress concentration field as well as nodal density. This is attributed to the fact that a denser nodal pattern is required near a stress concentration field. What a user has to do in a practical mesh generation process are to choose several local nodal patterns properly and to designate the maximum nodal density of each pattern. After those simple operations by the user, the system places the chosen nodal patterns automatically in an analysis domain and on its boundary, and connects them smoothly by the fuzzy knowledge processing technique. Then triangular or tetrahedral elements are generated by means of the advancing front method. The key issue of the present algorithm is an easy control of complex two- or three-dimensional nodal density distribution by means of the fuzzy knowledge processing technique.To demonstrate fundamental performances of the present algorithm, a prototype system was constructed with one of object-oriented languages, Smalltalk-80 on a 32-bit microcomputer, Macintosh II. The mesh generation of several two- and three-dimensional domains with cracks, holes and junctions was presented as examples.     

Socially inspired search and ranking in mobile social networking: concepts and challenges

In this paper, we provide an overview of challenges in mobile search and ranking, and envision the fundamental features that should be satisfied. We argue that two principles will help improve the relevance and quality of mobile search and ranking: the first one is to examine both intrinsic content features and context of items (usage statistics and social features, etc.); and the second one lies in that no algorithms can replace the objectivity of a human being—let users define the sites that they feel are relevant, leverage their social networks, and over time see their results become highly personalized. Specifically, wireless-virtualcommunity-based mobile search and ranking architecture is proposed in this paper, in which communities act as a first class abstraction for information sharing. Then, we introduce briefly the potential procedures of achieving high relevance and quality in mobile search and ranking based on wireless virtual community.     

Integration of 3-D shape construction and assembly to realize micro systems

In order to make micro 3-D structures, we are designing a table-sized factory, namely Nano Manufacturing World (NMW). In NMW, we challenged to use a new process fused by semiconductor process for preciseness and machine process for 3-dimensionality. In order to realize the new process, we designed three new mechanisms in this paper: multi-face shape making beam, co-focus rotational robot and micro mechanical tools. Through an evaluation to actually make a micro Gojunoto with the mechanisms, we confirmed their validities for functions of integration of 3-D shape construction and assembly.     

Non‐destructive evaluation of fatigue damage and fatigue crack initiation in type 316 stainless steel by positron annihilation line‐shape and lifetime analyses

Rotating bending fatigue tests were conducted using type 316 stainless steel. The fatigue tests were periodically terminated, and fatigue damage and fatigue crack initiation were non‐destructively and sequentially evaluated by positron annihilation line‐shape and lifetime analyses. The counter‐jig and anticoincidence methods were used for positron annihilation line‐shape and lifetime analyses, respectively, to enhance the analytical precision. The fatigue crack lengths were monitored by a plastic replication technique, and related to the parameters in both analyses. S‐parameter obtained in the line‐shape analysis increased with increasing fatigue damage, while it was difficult to detect fatigue crack initiation and subsequent small fatigue crack growth. That was because the precision of line‐shape analysis was limited. On the other hand, both fatigue damage and fatigue crack initiation were successfully detected by lifetime analysis. Positron annihilation lifetime also increased with increasing fatigue damage, and lifetime was longer at the notch root with fatigue crack than at the smooth section without crack. It was considered that the precision of lifetime analysis was high enough to detect high dislocation density areas at the fatigue crack tips.     

P2P soft security: On evolutionary dynamics of P2P incentive mechanism

This paper thoroughly investigates the evolutionary dynamics of soft security mechanism, namely, reciprocity-based incentive mechanism, in P2P systems based on Evolutionary Game Theory (EGT). By soft security mechanism, it means social control mechanisms to overcome peers’ selfish (rational) behaviors, and encourage cooperation in P2P systems. Specifically, there exist three strategies in P2P systems: always cooperative (ALLC), always defect (ALLD) and reciprocator (R). Instead of existing work which take it for granted that, like ALLC users, R users did not bear any information-seeking cost, we assume small reciprocation cost, and study generalized mutation-selection dynamics. Our contributions are threefold: firstly, we prove and illustrate that, in a well-mixed P2P structure, ALLD is the only strict Nash equilibrium; secondly, we infer the specific condition under which evolution dynamics exhibits rock-scissors-paper oscillation in a structured P2P population. That is, the population cycles from ALLD to R to ALLC and back to ALLD; finally, we theoretically illustrate that the intensity of selection plays an important role in the evolutionary dynamics of P2P incentive mechanism. That is, when the intensity of selection is relatively weak and reciprocation cost limits to zero, the time average can be mostly concentrated on reciprocator. In brief, considering the existence of reciprocation cost and the small mutation in P2P incentive mechanisms, unlike existing work, it is impossible to simply achieve the “absolute cooperative” in P2P incentive mechanisms. On the other hand, stochastic evolution in P2P incentive mechanism with finite population and network structure still favor reciprocation.     

Plasma glucagon after total resection of the pancreas in man

Serial measurements of plasma "true glucagon" (PG) and of glucagon-like immunoreactive materials (GLI) were carried out during and after total resection of the pancreas in a 62-year-old man with calcified pancreatitis. The postoperative course of this patient was uneventful and diabetes was well controlled. PG disappeared from the blood within 30 min after resection of the pancreas. In spite of the evidence that no pancreatic tissue was present in the abdomen, PG was detected again in the blood from 18 hr after total pancreatectomy until the ninth postoperative day. However, plasma PG did not rise following infusion of arginine during the fourteenth postoperative week. After an initial decrease, plasma GLI rose abruptly on the second postoperative day and remained elevated thereafter. The fluctuations of plasma PG and GLI were not parallel.     

Three-dimensional rainbow schlieren measurements in underexpanded sonic jets from axisymmetric convergent nozzles

The rainbow schlieren deflectometry has been combined with the computed tomography to obtain three-dimensional density fields of shock containing free jets and we call the method the schlieren CT. Experiments on the schlieren CT have been performed at a nozzle pressure ratio of 4.0 by using an axisymmetric convergent nozzle with an inner diameter of 10 mm at the exit where the nozzle was operated at an underexpanded condition. Multidirectional rainbow schlieren pictures of an underexpanded sonic jet can be acquired by rotating the nozzle about its longitudinal axis in equal angular intervals and the three-dimensional density fields are reconstructed by the schlieren CT. The validity of the schlieren CT is verified by a comparison with the density fields reconstructed by the Abel inversion method. As a result, it is found that excellent quantitative agreement is reached between the three-dimensional jet density fields reconstructed from both methods.